Come Morning Light
by WraithLoverQueen
Summary: The morning light has come with the cold of the day. Fear reigns supreme as the NOLA team desperately try to fix what went wrong. Brody and Percy are the teams only hope and they're feeling frazzled. Hope and faith are the glue that keeps the team together on Brody's rescue mission. Part 14 of Cemetery Sweethearts


A/N: UGH! My god! I am sooo sorry everyone. I told myself I wasn't going to do this you guys again. I am so sorry. ; ; Please forgive me. School had suddenly turned horrifically hard and stressful, and only stopped about a week ago. So, I apologize. *Sigh* And I didn't even get to finish Day 12 like I had promised. So, here's what I have so far.

Disclaimer: I only own what isn't canon.

P.S.: I have a bunch of Pride/LaSalle oneshots up on here now if you haven't seen them. Also, all of these stories are now on my new NCIS: NOLA oriented Tumblr (in case you're tired of coming all the way here for updates). Links in my profile. There's also a link to my NCIS: NOLA x Reader side blog. It's just full of tiny little stories to put smiles on faces.

Also, I have a new horror crossover up on here now. It's a NCIS, NCIS: NOLA, and BioShock crossover. Main characters and pairings are: Pride/LaSalle and Gibbs/DiNozzo. I would love to hear feedback on it. Ya know, just in case you guys get bored with waiting for me again. *sulks under blanket for failing you guys*

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The morning sunlight had blossomed but could only barely pierce the cloak of cloud. The heavy rain refused to lighten as the morning felt as if it were dragging along for an eternity. Dwayne sluggishly raised his head to look up at the thick tree canopy. Though Takuka's drug had numbed his body to the point where he could barely move, his mind was still in perfect working order. It was an attribute that he was not pleased with.

A drop of rain struggled its way through the thick canopy. Dwayne was lost in the thought that he was glad he was only getting minimal rain. The drop of water hit him in the corner of his eye as his thoughts drifted towards a direction that made his blood run cold. He was a man that could hold a great deal of faith but sometimes fear had a way of making it run thin.

Chris had left some time ago to rescue Laurel but the younger man had been exhausted as it was. The cruelty of logic had to dictate that there was a high probability that he had not made it in time before the dawn.

The very thought that logic depicted made Dwayne feel sick. If Chris had not gotten to Laurel in time then Dwayne would lose both of them. If she died from Takuka's game, the knowledge would kill Chris since he was the connecting factor. Dwayne still was not convinced Chris was stable yet, especially with the Abiku drug in his system. A trauma could push him over the edge for good this time.

Dwayne closed his eyes and tiredly shook his head as best he could. He chased the dark thoughts from his mind, heart beating unevenly in fear. Tears dripped down from the corners of his eyes. He chose to actively have hope that his young love had made it to his child in time.

The sound of rustling leaves off to his left drew his focus. He slowly blinked his eyes open again and shifted to the side a fraction. He tensed, breath hitching in his lungs, as he watched several sections of marsh vegetation move.

A low rumbling growl sounded from the underbrush. Leaves were brushed aside and dark glittering eyes could be seen in the darkness beyond. Despite his lethargy, Dwayne clenched his fingers into fists and glared back at the creatures. He stared the hound down while looking it over. Chris had been right, the canines were large and a mangy black color. He found himself surprised that their disgusting coats did not snag on the brambles.

He pushed the pointless thought away as he focused on matters at hand. After being on the job so many years, he had come to think a lot about different ways to get hurt. Though, somehow, maimed by a psychotic dog had never been on the list. He guessed you were bound for surprises even at his age. The whole situation with Chris was kind of a testament to that.

The dogs seemed to be trained differently than most. Their training was more like human nature. Their growling leader creeped forward while the others lagged behind. This was oddly comforting, it would be easier to handle one dog over a whole pack.

The next few moments felt blurred and confused for Dwayne. The animal stopped prowling and ran for him. Dwayne threw himself down to the side with a great deal of effort as it lunged. It still should have landed on his legs. Instead, a loud bang echoed through the clearing. His ears rang but he knew the shot had come from behind him. He watched in a daze as the dog's head exploded in a spray of blood.

The force of the impact forced the dead animal off target, letting it fall into a lump at his side. He blinked in shock, heart racing unsteadily, while the rest of the animals became agitated. They began their attack but were quickly cut down by more gunshots. The numbing agent must have finally gotten to his mind because he felt completely lost.

"Pride!" A familiar voice called to him as someone sank to their knees beside him. He found himself gasping for breath, his pulse unsteady. He felt a hand on his shoulder and slowly looked towards its owner. He gave an exhausted chuckle of relief at the sight of Brody looking at him. She looked worried and scared, he weakly forced a tired smile for her.

"Thank you, Merri." His words got a smile of relief from the worried woman. His eyes widened in surprise as she suddenly threw her arms around him.

"Oh, thank god, you're okay, Pride! Percy and I were so worried!" She gasped out shakily as she clung to him. He sluggishly raised a lethargic arm to pet her hair as he watched her team of NOPD officers join them, "King, where's LaSalle and Laurel?" He frowned at her question as she sat up and let him go.

"A-ah don' know." Dwayne paused and blinked slowly. God, it was hard to think now, "Chris went that' way quite a while ago. Lookin' for Laurel. She was trapped somewhere. Dunno where..." He trailed off again and Brody was getting concerned. She helped him sit up again as one of the officers handed her a blanket. She quickly wrapped it around her boss' shoulders and got to her feet.

"Don't worry, Pride. I'll find them." She took a deep breath and turned to the officers, "Alright. You five escort Agent Pride out of this marsh. Get him medical attention immediately and call Dr. Loretta Wade to come take over his care. The rest of you, come with me. We need to find Agent LaSalle and the daughter of Agent Pride." There was a chorus of "Yes, Ma'am!" as the officers quickly split into two groups.

 _ **~*~NCIS~*~**_

Percy's morning was not going much better. She was stressed, worried, and felt like her mind was being pulled in every direction. She was trying desperately not to think about her friends but it was hard.

"Agent Percy?" She jerked her head towards the officer addressing her. She nodded at him, letting him know to give his report, "Miss, this was for sure the location. The dogs found three shipping containers of unconscious people. The recording devices connected to each spoke of the attack plan. Looks like we're safe, Miss." Sonja frowned softly at the NOPD officer. She bit her lip and slowly shook her head. He blinked down at her questioningly.

"Miss?"

"Tha' was tu easy." He blinked again at her. It had taken hours just to get to this point, "Pride said this woman was crafty and vengeful."

"Meanin' she woul'n' jus' attack from one port, righ', Agent Percy?"

"Exactly, Hinterton!" Anxiety spiked through them both at this aspect. Sonja swallowed thickly, her mind whirling with what needed to be done.

"Okay, Hinterton. You go fetch a map that has the city layout. Meanwhile, Ah'll gather the troop leaders."

"On it, Miss!"

 _ **~*~NCIS~*~**_

Brody had never been so thankful for something as she was for the shower she had taken last night. She was sure that it was the only thing keeping her exhaustion at bay. She silently begged her strength to continue as she quickly trudged through the goopy marsh. She had to find LaSalle and Laurel!

"Agent Brody, Ah've foun' somethin'!" Brody stumbled in the thick mire as an officer called to her. Another officer caught her arm so she would not fall. She breathed a word of thanks before they both rushed to the other officer that had been calling to her.

"What is it, Officer?" She panted out the words.

"It looks like a rope net ladder, Ma'am." He replied as he lead them over to the entrance to Takuka's treetop rope palace. Brody's eyes widened at the sight. She quickly shared a look with the men supporting her and nodded.

"Good work. Officer Loupe, come with me. Officer Kent, gather the rest of the guys."

"Yes, Ma'am!"

Brody quickly began to climb the ladder with her companion. As she climbed, she spotted blood and dirt on the rope rungs. Her heart ached and she had to push back the fear. She forced herself to take calming breathes as she used the blood trail to lead her.

The climb was a slow awkward emotional agony that only comes with crawling on rope. It felt like a rat caught on a net. She felt hopelessness settle in at the sight of the treetop palace. There were rope platforms everywhere! It was a labyrinth and the only guide was the vague blood trail. It was stressful and hard to follow as the rain had washed a lot a way.

Her muscles ached and burned from her crawling trek. Her skin stung from the rope biting into her skin through her clothes. She felt so lost and unsure!

"Agent Brody, look!" She jerked her head up and looked over to where Officer Loupe was motioning to. She gasped, heart skipping a beat at the sight of a figure collapsed on the nets. Fear grabbed at her soul as she quickly rushed over the rope, not caring as it cut into her palms.

"LaSalle!" She called his name but got no reply. She found herself in a haze as she crawled to his side. She whimpered as she finally noticed that he was laying over Laurel to keep her warm. Both were unconscious and breathing shallowly in the cold. She shakily pressed a hand to Chris' back, eyes tearing up at how cold he was. His wet clothes were clinging to him still but Laurel was worse, the poor girl was drenched.

"We need to get them to warmth!" Brody squeaked as she and Loupe gently rolled Chris off of Laurel.

"I'll call it in, Agent Brody." Loupe placated as he pulled off his heavy coat and handing it to her. Brody nodded and began to rub her hands over Chris' arms before covering him with the coat. She then quickly began to do the same to Laurel before using her own coat to cover the poor girl. She quickly laid down beside her and pulled her close into an embrace.

"Don't worry, Sweetheart. We're gonna get you and Chris back to your daddy."

 _ **~*~End~*~**_


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